Office of the Historian

795.00/5–2551

George F. Kennan to the Soviet Deputy Representative at the United Nations (Tsarapkin)1

[Princeton,] May 26, 1951.

Dear Mr. Tsarapkin: You will remember our official acquaintance in Moscow. You also know, I suppose, that I am now on leave of absence and engaged in academic activity here in Princeton.

I am writing to ask you to be good enough to tell Mr. Malik (whom I know very slightly) that I think it would be useful from the standpoint of both our governments if he and I could meet and have a quiet talk some time in the near future. I think that my diplomatic experience and long acquaintance with problems of American-Soviet relations should suffice to assure you that I would not make such a proposal unless I had serious reasons to do so.

I am leaving tonight for the west coast and will not be back before next Thursday (May 31). I would be glad to meet with Mr. Malik next Thursday evening (or afternoon) or any time on Friday, where and when it suits him. If he would care to be my guest for dinner Thursday, luncheon Friday, or dinner Friday, I would be happy to receive him that way and would arrange for a place where I would hope we would not be disturbed. If he would care to bring someone with him, that would be entirely acceptable to me, as long as it is a person who has his confidence.

I can be reached by telephone on Monday and Tuesday2 at the residence of Mr. Paul Hoffman in Pasadena.3 For reasons of security, however, I think it would be better if any reply could be communicated to my personal secretary, Miss Grace Marshall, at the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton (telephone Princeton 4400). It will be sufficient, in any reply made to her, to refer to Mr. Malik as “the gentleman Mr. Kennan has asked to see.” Miss Marshall will be absent on Monday, but will be present on Tuesday and Wednesday.4

Very sincerely yours,

George Kennan
  1. A typewritten note attached to the source text indicated that this letter was sent to Mr. Tsarapkin on May 26. Mr. Acheson, in his account of these events, stated that the letter was delivered by a member of the U.S. Mission at the United Nations to Mr. Malik at the latter’s apartment in New York; see Present at the Creation, pp. 532–533.↩
  2. May 28 and 29.↩
  3. Former Head of the Economic Cooperation Administration, at this time Director of the Ford Foundation.↩
  4. A typewritten note attached to the source text indicated that a telephone message was received, presumably by Miss Marshall, at 11:05 a. m. on Tuesday, May 29, to the effect that the gentleman Mr. Kennan had asked to see could meet with him on Thursday, May 31, at the gentleman’s villa outside New York. The site was near den Cove, Long Island; for a memorandum of the conversation, see p. 483.↩